Aussie Divers first time to Philippines

[AusUsr]

Thanks everyone for your detailed replies. Well we have booked the flights (leaving early August) so now we are trying to decided on the various locations. All up we will be doing 14 days. Malapascua is on the list so far.

 

[klausi]

We'd be happy to have you at Savedra in Moalboal of course, we fit all your criteria, though I am not sure if we are out of the beaten path enough for you (3 hours by car from Cebu City). We have the cool sardines in front of our house reef, so that's definitely a special. Check them out:

[video=youtube;oaMBlO8uut8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaMBlO8uut8[/video]

Other than that, I just started compiling a Philippine Dive Map, so that could help you in your decision where to go.

 

[AusUsr]

Will take a look as we are currently looking at Moalboal for the first week of our trip. 2nd week is booked at Malapascua

 

[Dive-Boarder2]

Coron... WWII wrecks.. Cathedral cave and Barracuda lake for your 'odd' dives... Or what about Cebu for Marigondon cave (cavern)..

 

[divingmore]

I would not risk a liveaboard in August in PHL - weather maybe beautiful but typhoons are common and unpredictable and then trip is cancelled.sadly there is not much big stuff to see in phil - threshers in Malapascua are the only option really but a very good one. With Eco preference you mention Oslob is to be avoided. but there is plenty of superb macro and wrecks in phl.good combo is to fly to Cebu and out and combine malapascua and moalboal. i dived with evolution on two separate trips in malapascua and they are superb. moalboal has sardines and very good macro. If you have more time and weather is good can add on Dumaguete - transfer by bus+boat from moal boal. can then fly out from Dumaguete. excellent muck and trips to Apo island (not to be confused with Apo reef). Apo island has beautiful corals, macro and fish - but no big stuff really. we stayed at talata - excellent small resort with divine food and closest to apo island - just across.for wrecks - coron is fantastic - fly to coron, but better to stay in busuanga bay not in coron town - i stayed in al faro and the resort is wonderful if you dont mind the climb up the stairs. d'divers is the dive shop for resorts there and is an amazingly professional establishment. wrecks are 10 min boat ride. Puerto Galera (Sabang) and Anilao are easy commute from Manila both with superb macro. For me underwater in both is very similar key differences are on the surface side. in Anilao you are locked in your resort bc it is hard to get from place to place bc of topography; diving charging system is that you pay for a boat and a dive guide so it is good for a group but if 1-2 travellers gets expensive. at the same time it is land transfer to MNL so even if weather turns bad you will not have an issue getting back to MNl (say catching a flight). PG has a town vibe, more options for food and places to stay. In calm sea is is only a 40min boat ride from batangas pier - so actually total travel time on good weather day from manila to Anilao or Sabang is about the same. but if weather turns boats stop running. My advice is check if the weather is clear and no storms or typhoons are brewing in the Pacific, then head out to Sabang, otherwise Anilao. frog fish, flamboyant cuttlefish, octopus, all sorts of nudies and various cool critters are very much in both places and DMs are phenomenal at finding them.When is Sabang best to stay in one of the Lagunas and not Sabang itself - all very near 10min walk. We usually stay and dive with Blue Ribbon - small resort, highly professional and great instructors and DMs and eco friendly. Good food and very relaxed atmosphere.the big plus is that it is a quiet season now, in many places you will likely have a boat and guide to yourselves and pick and choose where to dive. Availability is not an issue and most of the time weather is fine with just a bit of rain in the afternoon. Good luck!

 

[Wingy]

I second Sabang/PG as an easy dive spot with very nice diving easily reached from Manila. I used South Sea Divers and was very happy with the Op.

 

[Chona]

hi did you already flight to philippines? i have to recomended for you a nice place located in bohol.. we have a nice resort and this coming october we make promo..

for 14 days only $2999
Packages inclution:
flight back and forth
stay in bungalow for 14 days and 13 nights
Unlimited Diving
any dive course

For more info please PM our Facebook page or visit our homepage Coco White Beach Resort Philippinen :: Schweizer Resort mit deutscher Tauchbasis
*COCO WHITE BEACH RESORT in BOHOL PHILIPPINES are the perfect place for a private, relaxing holiday for families, couples or singles.
So if you are thinking about your vacation, Coco White Beach Resort is ready for you!!

 

[diverguytasmania]

Just want to second this - my wife and I stayed there in 2010 (http://www.sogodbayscubaresort.com/) and had an excellent stay. There is plenty to see and we did see a whaleshark as well (in August!). The guy running the place (Phil) is a good bloke and the DM's are excellent. Plenty to see, dive the pier as well. Sogod Bay is better than Bohol, Malapascua and Moalboal and Puerto Galera - the other places I have dived in the Phils.



Go back to the Philippines again and go to Sogod Bay! I went there in February with six of my friends and we all had an amazing time. The whale sharks were well-treated (that is, no feeding and no touching; lots of screaming people swimming after them with cameras is sort of unavoidable . . . ), and although encounters were for snorkeling only, that didn't detract from the experience at all and probably is best for the animals. Mainly, though, we were there for the macro life, and Sogod Bay did not disappoint. Lots of nudibranch species, loads of ornate ghost pipefish, a number of blue-ringed octopuses, a handful of flamboyant cuttlefish, Coleman's shrimp, pygmy seahorses, larger seahorses, etc etc. Most of my buddies enjoyed an encounter with a wonderpus (I missed it, unfortunately). We absolutely loved the muck diving site called "Malitbog Lembeh" (nicknamed after the Lembeh in Indonesia because so many of the same critters are there in the sand near the village of Malitbog, near Sogod Bay). We asked to go back again and again, to dive in the muck instead of the pretty reef sites. I can't wait to go back . . . in fact, if you can get over the lack of whale sharks, you should go in August.